The Organic Consumers Associationhttp://www.organicconsumers.org/ is an organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. I love what theystand forand how they keep me informed through their website and great newsletter Organic Bytes.

Just one example of the great work they are doing is this: demanding labels on GMO Salmon in CA! It’s crazy that salmon is being genetically modified (you can read more about GMOs here) but the important thing is to make sure it’s at least labeled so we have a choice when shopping!

The most recent Organic Bytes newsletter shared much of this… the latest on the California bill AB 88, which requires labels on genetically engineered salmon. It moved forward on May 3, 2011, when it passed the Assembly Health Committee.

Assembly member Jared Huffman introduced the bill, AB 88, in anticipation of U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the first-ever proposed commercialization of a genetically engineered animal, AquaBounty’s salmon.

“Knowing whether our salmon is genetically engineered is important for a host of reasons, including risks to our native salmon species, and allowing consumers to make dietary choices consistent with concerns they may have for the environment, food safety, and religiously or ethically based dietary restrictions,” said Assemblymember Huffman, in explaining the reason for introducing the bill. I say a big kudos to you Assemblymember Huffman!

If you live in California, AB 88 needs your help! The next vote is on May 18th in the Appropriations Committee. If your Assembly Member is on the Committee, please let them know you’ll be watching their vote to see if they support consumers’ right to know about GMOs!

And, if you live anywhere else in the country, there’s still time to stop Frankenfish! The FDA hasn’t approved it yet. Please tell President Obama to reject AquaBounty’s GMO salmon.

From the website: The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The OCA deals with crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children’s health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability and other key topics. We are the only organization in the US focused exclusively on promoting the views and interests of the nation’s estimated 50 million organic and socially responsible consumers. The OCA represents over 850,000 members, subscribers and volunteers, including several thousand businesses in the natural foods and organic marketplace. Our US and international policy board is broadly representative of the organic, family farm, environmental, and public interest community.

**** 5/4 UPDATE: SUCCESS! AB575 was pulled. We heard from the office late on Monday that it would not be heard Tuesday May 3 but since we didn’t have anything official, we showed up at the hearing anyway. It was not heard. This was due to overwhelming opposition to the bill so a big thank you to everyone. I’ll be posting more information in the next few days, weeks and months – this is just the start but now we will have time to educate the legislators on why this is a bad bill.

**** 4/29 UPDATE: BAD NEWS based on calls to Hyashi’s office, AB 575 will be on the docket for next Tuesday May 3 – WITH NO CHANGES – even though they know it’s flawed and that many people oppose it.

Martin Mathews and I learned that Hayashi is planning to introduce the bill as is – that she just needs 4 of the other 8 members of the committee she chairs, give a YES vote to AB575. Apparently, she’ll explain how the bill is flawed, that it will be fixed later (with yet-to-be-determined changes) and ask them to vote yes on it now anyway! We are figuring out next steps. Right now we know there will be a local presence to oppose this again. Please use #StpAB575 in twitter to follow and share.

**** 4/26 UPDATE: SUCCESS …for now! The bill was pulled from discussion due to overwhelming opposition! Details of next steps will be posted shortly. We’ll know Thursday if there will be another hearing Tues May 3. If it doesn’t make the May 3 date it won’t be heard for another year. WELL DONE EVERYONE! *****

4/22: The CA Assembly bill AB 575 will affect your right to access highly qualified nutritional therapists of your choice (if you are a consumer in California) and will also prohibit you from providing valuable nutritional therapy (if you are a nutrition professional in California). It will be heard before Assembly Committee on Business, Professions and Consumer Protections on Tuesday April 26th, 2011 in Sacramento, CA. This bill is being introduced by the CDA (California Dietetics Association) and Under this bill nutritionists must become licensed dietitians in order to practice! This would create a monopoly for RD’s as clinical nutrition providers.

This is a very hot topic that has been playing out in many states and I encourage you to take action RIGHT AWAY so you don’t lose your freedom of choice and/or your right to work!

And a few weeks ago I interviewed Coco Newton, RD, CCN and Liz Lipski PhD, CCN on a preview call promoting our annual NANP (www.nanp.org) conference April 31, May 1. You can listen to this 30 minute interview here. Coco’s topic will address similar issues the nutrition professionals have experienced in Michigan. Coco is very active in the Michigan Nutrition Association and they have very useful information on their site (http://www.michigannutritionassociation.org/)

“California Assembly Bill 575 creates a monopoly on nutrition services for dietitians, in effect denying consumers access to expert advice from nutritionists, some of the most highly educated and well-respected professionals in the field of nutrition. Presented as a regular licensing bill for dietitians this bill actually limits the practice of other nutrition professionals. Under this bill nutritionists must go through the dietetic program and licensure in order to practice medical nutrition therapy.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) has sponsored legislation in over 40 states. This is the organization that lists among its corporate sponsors soft drink giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, cereal manufacturers General Mills and Kellogg’s, candy maker Mars, and Unilever, the multinational corporation that owns many of the world’s consumer products brands in foods and beverages.

The negative implications of AB 575 are far reaching.

Bad for an already struggling California economy. This bill would effectively eliminate an entire profession and removes all competition in the field of nutrition services.

Dampens freedom of choice in healthcare: Nutritionists and dietitians have entirely different philosophical approaches. Each individual has unique nutritional needs and therefore deserve access to choice. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Threatens to increase chronic health indicators among Californians: Nutritionists practice an integrative approach to medicine and concentrate on prevention and treatment of chronic disease. Access to nutritionists should be broadened, not reduced.

Penalizes a higher standard of education and training: For example, Certified Nutrition Specialists certified by the Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists (CBNS) have a Master’s degree at a minimum, usually a Ph.D., yet are excluded by this bill unless they meet the requirements of dietitians.”

IF YOU ARE A CALIFORNIA RESIDENT – WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW

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If you are a California resident there are a number of things you can do – I’ve outlined these steps below. Please take action before Tuesday next week if you feel this is something you feel strongly about!

(1) Alliance for Natural Health has a page that will generate a letter for you to automatically send to

* Your Governor
* Your State Senator or Senators
* Your State Representative or Representatives
* All the committee members

Just enter your name, address and modify the sample text letter as you see fit .

(2) Call and email the Committee members and tell them what you think. Calling is often more effective than emailing!

It’s also very effective to write your own personal letter expressing how you feel. Make sure to send this to all the committee members (see below) AND your own representative (if he/she is not on the committee).

(3) Please share this information with family, colleagues and clients, post on social media, blog about it and add it to your ezines

(4) Myself and five or six other nutrition professionals will be attending the hearing on Tuesday – if you would like to come and show your support please email me and/or show up. I live near Sacramento and I am coordinating the local effort. At this time the hearing will be between 9am and 12:30pm and everyone present will be able to state their opinion. We don’t yet know how much more each of us can say. Location: CAPITAL BUILDING – Old side (renovated side) 4th floor, Room 447.

(5) Consider volunteering your time, either now or in the coming weeks and months – this issue won’t be going away any time soon and we could do with the help of folks with any legal experience and/or organizing experience

(6) Consider joining the Alliance for Natural Healthhttp://www.anh-usa.org, an organization dedicated to promoting sustainable health and freedom of choice in healthcare through good science and good law. They protect the right of natural-health practitioners to practice and the right of consumers to choose the healthcare options they prefer. Membership is just $25 a year

(7) If you are reading this and are a nutrition professional and are not yet a member of the NANP – National Association of Nutrition Professionals (www.nanp.org), consider joining NANP so together we can stay informed and serve as nutrition professionals. I’m a long-standing member and currently serve as President. It’s a great organization with amazing benefits!

(8) Finally we’d love to see you at our annual NANP conference next weekend April 31/May 1 in San Francisco. Coco Newton, RD, CCN will be one of the great presenters and her topic will address similar issues the nutrition professionals have experienced in Michigan. Register here.

If you are not a California resident

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If you are not a California resident I encourage keep informed as this has happened in other states and may come to your state next. Your best bet is to join the Alliance for Natural Healthhttp://www.anh-usa.org which is part of an international organization dedicated to promoting sustainable health and freedom of choice in healthcare through good science and good law. They protect the right of natural-health practitioners to practice and the right of consumers to choose the healthcare options they prefer. Membership is just $25 a year!

Wrapping up and thanks!

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I’ve spent the last few days reading, learning, listening and talking to amazingly supportive people all over the country so we can stop this bill in it’s tracks. Organizations, schools, practitioners and consumers are coming together to make this happen. I’m blown away by all the support and assistance! And would like to acknowledge the following people/groups: the NANP board members and staff (www.nanp.org), Ed Bauman PhD (www.baumancollege.org), Martin Mathews (www.nourishinghope.org), Nandini Gopinadh and Gretchen DuBeau (www.anh-usa.org), Dr David Brady (http://www.bridgeport.edu) Dr Anna Kelles PhD (www.nycc.edu), Donna Kelley MS, Krysti Hyllen, JJ Virgin CNS, CHFI, Lisa Bryant NE, Michael Stroka, Judy Stone, Corinne Bush MS, CNS, Dana Reed, MS, CNS (www.reednutrition.com) and all the other concerned people and groups too many to mention! Thank you so much!

And to you as the reader, if you’ve got this far – thank for supporting me and everyone in the effort and for believing in the value of nutrition the amazing power of food and nutrients!

GMOs sounds like something from another planet and as far as I’m concerned they should be! GMO stands for genetically modified organism (sometimes also referred to as just GM foods).

Should you avoid GM foods? I believe you should and so do many other concerned citizens, writers, health practitioners and researchers. This is because we simply don’t know the long-term health consequences. Many preliminary animal studies have shown harmful effects, so concerned researchers are calling for more studies.

Most of the nonorganic corn, soy, and canola grown in this country is genetically modified. What does this mean? It means that any and all processed food that contains these ingredients is very likely a GM food or a GMO. Unfortunately, there’s no requirement that foods containing GM ingredients be labeled as such, so eating real whole foods and purchasing organic is the only way to be certain you aren’t getting GM foods.

One of my favorite stories about GM crops and can be found on Dr Mercola’s site, a wonderful health resource for staying informed. It’s a story about some very smart chickens in South Africa. I grew up in South Africa so it’s a special story for me! These chickens refused to eat the maize they were being fed (in South Africa corn is called maize or mielies). The farmer had the chicken-feed tested and discovered that it contained GM corn/maize that had been genetically modified to include a well-known weed and insect killer. You can read the whole story here. What smart chickens!

We can be smart about this too – as long as we keep informed!

An excellent resource on GMOs and the health and environmental consequences is the Institute for Responsible Technology. Jeffrey Smith has written many excellent books and articles and he is doing an incredible job educating the world about GMOs. I’ve heard him present a number of times and he is great and an expert on the subject!

If you live in Northern California, this is your opportunity! Below is information on two speaker training events and a public talk Jeffrey Smith will offer in Marin County and Lake County.

Friday, May 6, 2011 – Symposium on the GMO Crisis
6:30pm-10:30pm San Rafael Community Center, 618 ‘B’ Street, San Rafael, CA
Despite polls that indicate Americans overwhelmingly want GMO foods labeled, the USDA continues to allow their production and sale without labeling or adequate testing. Come find out what is happening with GMOs and why we should be concerned! An outstanding panel of experts on GMO technologies will discuss how they are affecting our health and the environment (from 7:30 to 9:30 pm): Claire Cummings, author of Uncertain Peril, Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette, a spokesperson from The Center for Food Safety, and Mark Squire of the Good Earth Natural Foods and The Non-GMO Project, will fill us in on the political, legal and health implications of recombinant DNA in our foods.

Saturday, May 7, 2011 – GMO Speaker and Activism Training with Jeffrey Smith
9:30am – 5:00pm Marin Recycling and Resource Recovery, Environmental Classroom
535 Jacobi Street, San Rafael, CA
Spend a day with international bestselling author and filmmaker Jeffrey M. Smith and learn how to speak about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and to organize effective activism around the issue. Help achieve the tipping point of consumer rejection to force GMOs out of our food supply! Whether you want to be a leading anti-GMO campaigner, help out when you can, or just gain an in-depth understanding of the issue, don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from the leading spokesperson on GMO health dangers. Jeffrey has presented in 32 countries, counseled world leaders on every continent, and he wrote the world’s bestselling book on the topic – Seeds of Deception.Cost: $80 Individual / $140 Couple Early Discount Before April 15th $70/$120

More details and register online

Sunday, May 8, 2011 – GMO Speaker and Activism Training in Lake County with Jeffrey Smith
9:30am – 5:00pm Ancient Lake Garden, 8993 Soda Bay Rd., Kelseyville, Lake County
Sponsored by the Committee for a GE free Lake County
Spend a day with the international bestselling author of “Seeds of Deception” and “Genetic Roulette”. Learn how to speak about genetic engineering in agriculture and genetically engineered (GMO) foods. Learn how to organize effective activism around the issue. Help achieve the tipping point of consumer rejection to force GMOs out of our food supply!Cost: $80 Individual / $140 Couple Early Discount Before April 15th $70/$120

The easiest and most affordable way to figure out if gluten affects you is to do a 2-week gluten elimination trial (and see how you feel) and then provoke or challenge with gluten (and see how you feel). The 2 week trial will mean zero consumption of food containing wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, triticale or oats. Oats must also be excluded as they are frequently contaminated with gluten during processing. It really is best that you eat home-made, real, whole foods (always, but especially during the trial) as gluten is so often “hidden” in many processed foods. Watch for ingredients like hydrolyzed protein, textured vegetable protein and all derivatives of wheat, oats, rye and barley (including barley malt, modified starch, most soy sauces and natural flavoring).

Other wonderful grains and nutritious starchy vegetables

Rice, corn and buckwheat are acceptable, as are the wonderful ancient grains like quinoa and amaranth. You can find gluten-free-everything – pasta, crackers, you-name-it – made from rice, bean, potato, coconut and corn flour. There are also many wonderful recipes books but some call for margarine, soy milk and excessive sugar – so make substitutions as needed. Rather than simply replacing the problem grain with another grain, consider incorporating more vegetables into your diet. Starchy vegetables like sweet potato and squashes are a wonderfully nutritious source of carbohydrates.

Adding back the gluten

Once you have removed the gluten from your diet and seen improvements in your mood and other symptoms (digestive, pain, skin etc), add it back after 2 weeks and see if it affects you adversely. This test is often more powerful for my clients than any lab test. I’ve seen symptoms ranging from severe mood swings to terrible anxiety to stomach aches to general aches and pains to fatigue and brain fog (and all of the above in some very sensitive individuals). If you experience any of the above, then it’s important that you remove gluten from your diet and work with someone to do additional testing. I’ll cover additional testing in a future blog post.

See here for part 1 (Gluten, your mood and your health) and read more about this and other food intolerances in my forthcoming book The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods you eat can calm your anxious mind, improve mood and end cravings. Find out more at www.antianxietyfoodsolution.com

With regards to what is happening in Japan, here is some sensible advice from Dr Elson Haas, MD: “While none of us really knows exactly what we are facing or what will truly protect us from radiation exposure, we can offer a few suggestions here. We encourage people to eat seaweed and miso soup, which may offer some protection and nourishment. Also, liquid trace minerals to help protect us and detox from heavy metals. Herbal adaptogens such as ginseng, especially Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), schizandra and ashwaganda may be protective as is milk thistle (silymarin), which supports liver detoxification. Also, the antioxidant nutrients that include vitamins A, C and E, as well as zinc and selenium may provide further protection.” Dr Haas also shares this important point: “Please realize that none of this is necessary at this time since we (here in California) are not being exposed directly to the problems occurring currently in Japan. If concerns about radiation levels increase in Japan, you are closer to the fallout, or we are finding increased levels here, we may need to become more proactive.”

While none of this is necessary (right now) when it come to the radiation in Japan, the above suggestions are really things you should consider always – to offer you protection from all heavy metals, environmental pollutants and toxins. We are exposed on a daily basis! And also consider the above suggestions if you fly a lot. You are exposed to radiation during flying. Whenever I’m doing a trip somewhere I eat plenty of miso before and afterwards. And make sure your detoxification pathways are working well by doing a detox a few times a year.

Eating real whole food will, of course, provide you with an abundance of minerals and antioxidants. Include are garlic and onions (high in sulfur) and veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Here is some additional information on miso and seaweed…

Seaweed is naturally rich in minerals, including iodine, iron, and magnesium. Try adding dulse or kelp to soups and stews. Nori is the seaweed used in sushi and is a great snack!

Miso is a fermented soybean paste. You can also find miso made from rice, barley, and other beans if soy is an issue for you. Just make sure it’s organic and raw. And don’t heat miso, as this destroys its beneficial properties. Mix about 1 tablespoon into some water and add it to your food, such as a bowl of soup or stew, just before serving. It’s also great as a warm beverage.

This Japanese event is awful beyond words – doing a blog this week just didn’t feel right – but we need to take care of ourselves and our families, give thanks for what we have, don’t panic, do what we can to help in the way of donations, and send our blessings to the Japanese people.